College Football Rankings: 12 Teams A Year Away From BCS Title Run
So how many fans have said or heard “we’re just a year away” or “next year is our year?”
For these 12 programs, a BCS title this season is all but a dream. Important conference losses or injuries to key playmakers have doomed them.
Well, when the calendar turns to September 2011, these 12 teams will have an inside track to compete for the BCS National Championship.
Let’s get to the list of the teams that will look to be hold the crystal football at season’s end in January 2012…
This article is also featured on A Blue and Gold State of Mind.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
1 of 12
As the Brian Kelly era enters its second season in South Bend, the Fighting Irish could be in store for a return to the magic of yesteryear. Kelly was extremely successful at improving Central Michigan and Cincinnati.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/03 South Florida
09/10 at Michigan
09/17 Michigan State
09/24 at Pittsburgh
10/01 at Purdue
10/08 Air Force
10/22 USC
10/29 Navy
11/05 at Wake Forest
11/12 vs. Maryland
11/19 Boston College
11/26 at Stanford
Michigan Wolverines
2 of 12
If Rich Rodriguez is still in the Maize and Blue in Ann Arbor come next season, Denard Robinson and the Wolverines could finally have the pieces needed to run the spread attack the coach made so effective in his time with Pat White and Steve Slaton in Morgantown.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/03 Western Michigan
09/10 Notre Dame
09/17 Eastern Michigan
09/24 San Diego State
10/01 Minnesota
10/08 at Northwestern
10/15 at Michigan State
10/29 Purdue
11/05 at Iowa
11/12 at Illinois
11/19 Nebraska
11/26 Ohio State
12/03 Big Ten Title Game
LSU Tigers
3 of 12
With the Mad Hatter most likely bringing another blue-chip recruiting class to the Bayou, the Tigers will have plenty of weapons to help return the program to its first National Championship game since winning the title in 2007.
As seen this season, the hot seat that Les Miles currently resides on will be white hot when the Tigers look to start strong as they take the field against Oregon opening week.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/03 vs. Oregon
09/10 Northwestern State
09/17 at Mississippi State
09/24 at West Virginia
10/01 Kentucky
10/08 Florida
10/15 at Tennessee
10/22 Auburn
11/05 at Alabama
11/12 Western Kentucky
11/19 at Ole Miss
11/26 Arkansas
12/03 SEC Title Game
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Alabama Crimson Tide
4 of 12
Nick Saban and company will most likely bring the best recruiting class in the country to Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide will undoubtedly be one of the favorites to make a return to the National Championship game as the current roster becomes a more experienced unit in 2011.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/03 Kent State
09/10 at Penn State
09/17 North Texas
09/24 Arkansas
10/01 at Florida
10/08 Vanderbilt
10/15 at Ole Miss
10/22 Tennessee
11/05 LSU
11/12 at Mississippi State
11/19 Georgia Southern
11/26 at Auburn
12/03 SEC Title Game
Texas Longhorns
5 of 12
After a down season, the Longhorns will look to block out the 2010 season of disappointing losses and reclaim the Big 12 with a guaranteed high-ranking recruiting class in addition to Garrett Gilbert being more familiar with the offense after taking over for Colt McCoy this season.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/03 Rice
09/10 BYU
09/17 at UCLA
10/01 at Iowa State
10/08 vs. Oklahoma
10/15 Oklahoma State
10/22 at Baylor
10/29 Kansas
11/05 Texas Tech
11/12 at Missouri
11/19 Kansas State
11/24 at Texas A&M
Nebraska Cornhuskers
6 of 12
As the Cornhuskers wave goodbye to the Big 12, the Big Ten elite will welcome Nebraska with stiff competition. New division rivals in Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Minnesota and Iowa will challenge the Huskers year in and year out.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/10 Fresno State
09/17 Washington
09/24 at Wyoming
10/01 at Wisconsin
10/08 Ohio State
10/22 at Minnesota
10/29 Michigan State
11/05 Northwestern
11/12 at Penn State
11/19 at Michigan
11/26 Iowa
12/03 Big Ten Title Game
Utah Utes
7 of 12
The former BCS buster from the Mountain West will look to take a step forward in its quest for a National Championship. The Utes are always a player in BCS standings and will be even more so now as a member of the Pac-10.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/03 Montana State
09/17 at BYU
10/15 at Pittsburgh
TBA: Pac-10 South division games with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, and USC, plus games from Pac-10 North teams as well.
Georgia Bulldogs
8 of 12
With the Florida Gators going through a bit of a transitional phase after the Tebow era, Mark Richt and Georgia can step back into the role of class of the SEC East in 2011. The program has Aaron Murray at QB and always has a great recruiting class coming to Athens.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/03 Louisville
09/10 South Carolina
09/17 Coastal Carolina
09/24 at Ole Miss
10/01 Mississippi State
10/08 at Tennessee
10/15 at Vanderbilt
10/29 vs. Florida
11/05 New Mexico State
11/12 Auburn
11/19 Kentucky
11/26 at Georgia Tech
12/03 SEC Title Game
Virginia Tech Hokies
9 of 12
For hopes of a Hokies National Championship, Frank Beamer and the boys from Blacksburg will try to avoid a slow start. With no Boise State or James Madison in sight for 2011, Virginia Tech will have to fight for relevance in conference quickly declining in national stature.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/03 Appalachian State
09/10 at East Carolina
09/17 Arkansas State
09/24 at Marshall
TBA:
ACC Home Games – Boston College, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina
ACC Road Games – Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest
Ohio State Buckeyes
10 of 12
With the expected return of star Terrelle Pryor to Columbus, the Buckeyes will have to travel yet another hard-hitting Big Ten conference schedule if Ohio State is going to compete in the program’s first National Championship game since laying an egg in 2007 against LSU.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/03 Akron
09/10 Toledo
09/17 at Miami (FL)
09/24 Colorado
10/01 Michigan State
10/08 at Nebraska
10/15 at Illinois
10/29 Wisconsin
11/05 Indiana
11/12 at Purdue
11/19 Penn State
11/26 at Michigan
12/03 Big Ten Title Game
Oklahoma Sooners
11 of 12
For Bob Stoops and Oklahoma, a path through the Big 12 conference has been made a little bit easier with the loss of Nebraska to the Big Ten. But it leaves Texas as the only true test if the Sooners want to return to the National Championship for the first time since being run off the field by USC in 2005.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/17 at Florida State
10/01 Ball State
10/08 vs. Texas
10/15 at Kansas
10/22 Texas Tech
10/29 at Kansas State
11/05 Texas A&M
11/12 Iowa State
11/19 at Baylor
11/26 at Oklahoma State
(TBA Games: Big 12 game with Missouri, non-conference game with Tulsa)
Oregon Ducks
12 of 12
With the high-powered offense in Eugene, the Ducks will look to continue its role as the dominant team in the Pac-10 in 2011, as the former incumbent Southern California is ineligible due to the sanctions levied against the program this past summer.
Potential 2011 Schedule
09/03 vs. LSU
09/10 Nevada
09/24 Washington State
10/01 Arizona State
10/08 at Arizona
10/15 USC
10/22 at Stanford
10/29 at Washington
11/05 California
11/19 at UCLA
11/26 Oregon State
TBA: 12th game in mid-September after the 9/10 game with Nevada
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
